The judge presiding over Young Thug’s lengthy racketeering trial held the musician’s attorney in contempt on Monday after being confronted about a private conversation reportedly held between the judge, prosecutors and one of the state’s star witnesses.

Brian Steel was escorted out of the courtroom after refusing to tell Judge Ural Glanville how he learned of the meeting, which he said occurred in the judge’s chambers before court began.

“You got some information you shouldn’t have gotten,” Glanville told the rapper’s attorney before directing courtroom deputies to take him into custody.

“You’re not supposed to have communication with a witness who’s been sworn,” Steel told the judge before asking for a mistrial.

The witness, Kenneth Copeland, spent the weekend in jail after refusing to testify on Friday. Copeland apparently had a change of heart on Monday and was brought to the witness stand wearing a jail-issued jumpsuit.

The reluctant witness appeared to dodge some of the prosecutor’s questions ahead of the lunch break, during which time Steel said he learned of the morning meeting.

“How about the witness, how about Mr. Copeland, who supposedly announced that he’s not testifying and he’ll sit for two years and, supposedly this honorable court, or let me rephrase that, this court, said I can hold you until the end of this trial,” Steel asked.

He then said he heard that prosecutor Simone Hylton reminded the witness that he could actually be held until all 26 defendants have their cases disposed of, regardless of how long that might take.

“If that’s true what this is is coercion, witness intimidation, ex parte communications that we have a constitutional right to be present for,” Steel told Glanville.

“I still want to know, how did you come upon this information,” Glanville asked. “Who told you?”

“What I wanna know is why wasn’t I there,” Steel told the judge.

After ordering Steel to be removed, Glanville said he planned to continue with proceedings.

“I’m not halting nothing,” he said.

At that point, Young Thug’s other attorney, Keith Adams said he did not wish to continue without his co-counsel present.

Glanville told him that he “does not have that luxury” and instructed Adams to remain in the courtroom and defend his client.

“You don’t get to extort the court,” Glanville said. “It doesn’t work that way.”

He called the leaked information about the meeting “such a violation of the sacrosanct-ness of the judge’s chambers.”

Before leaving, Steel told the judge that his client did not wish to continue without him present.

“You are removing me against his will, my will, and you’re taking away his right to counsel,” Steel said on his way out.

_____

©2024 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.